Dark Times
by carcass
Summary: Evil rumours surround the imperial legion and things begin to spiral out of control when the temple is attacked.....
1. Unexpected Dilema

(Hey all this is my new fic so i hope you enjoy it! Not much to say now but read on please)

Noleos closed the book quietly,not making a sound and yawned. How boring working here has turned out to be, she thought as she sat up and stretched, why did i ever want to work in the temple in the first place?. Skirting around the other disciples engrossed in books she pushed open the doors exiting the library. In the hall outside the ash mask of Vivec,the joy of Gnisis, caught her attention for a second. She got on well enough in the temple but the life of an apprentice was so boring and tedious that she had considered running away plenty of times.  
She was on her way to her dormitory when a warm sensation spread across her side. She yelped with alarm then realised what it was and hurridly snatched a mirror from her pocket. It was a present one of the masters,Goleon, had given her for passing an exam,beneath its gilded frame lay spells of enchantment that Goleon herself had made. It allowed a two way communication between whoever held mirrors. Noleos frowned as Goleon wrinkled face swam into view in the mirror , as Goleon was in Ebonheart at a council, Why would she contact me ,she though biting her lip.

'Noleos!'Goleon gapsed , glad to see her'listen very carefully what I'm ab-

'Your hurt!'Noleos interrupted seeing Goleon with half a dozen cuts on her face'what happened?'

'Never mind now girl its too late, i have to tell you something important!' she shouted her face gleaming with sweat,in the backround Noleos could hear bangs and saw a flash every now and again'Its Lord Neumeron he's gone insane!'

'What do you mean insane?'Noleos asked quickly, Nuemeron was a higly respected knight in the imperial army, he was famous for crusading against evil creatures.

'He killed half the council in seconds, kept talking about cleansing the land'Goleon moaned through clenched teeth.

'We have to get you out of there' urged Noleos frantically.

'Theres no time, I'm dead already, he searching every room'she replied coldy' but i must tell you something quick about his plans. He wants to destroy the temple in Morrowind completely and is probably going to systematically attack all the temples soon. You have to leave now. The guard in the temple Jeanne go to her, tell her the situation and both of ye leave. Shes the only one i trust, Neumeron has spies everywhere as a few from our temple helped him in teh killin'She closed her eyes in anguish'They're in the next room, you've got to leave right now!'Suddenly the dunmers womans head turned to the side and she let out a scream. A youthful face appeared in the mirror for a second and then it exploded,showering Noleos in glass.  
She stood still,shocked for a second then rushed to find Jeanne.

Jeanne a tall nord with short red hair calmly told the flusterd Breton to go get her belongings and pack her stuff. Pushing her long blond hair back from her face she got together any food in her locker and some travelling clothes.

'Okay I'm ready-' she was cut off as a figure charged her from behind knocking her down short flight of stairs and winding her.Kicking out hard she heard her attaker hiss and she pushed away from the figure. Rolling down the steps she landed in a heap at Jeanne's feet, quickly sprang up and jumped behind the Nord.  
Jeanne drew her longsword sliced the figure deep into the chest easily.

'I know him' whispered Noleos peeking over the warriors shoudler'Dracus, not really a nice guy but i wouldn't have thought him an assassin'.

'Never say never' Mused Jeannne wiping the blood from her blade 'Nuemeron work faster than we thought, we have to get out of here now as theres probably more on the way'.

Throwing cloaks over both of their heads she glanced around unbolted the temple doors and lead Noleos out into the dark night.

(thats the first chapter outta the way, the next one will be much longer with more action and alot more characters wili be introduced!. Please rate and review as it really helps, i'll update to ch 2 soon. 


	2. True face of evil

(hey! i didn't update but im fired up to write now so well see what happens, enjoy and read please!)

He was a killer.

He admitted it to himself many times and accepted this fact the same as someone accepts the stars and the sun.

He had killed for money,sport and fame , anything that took his fancy at the time.

Dozens of families lay dead in his wake and dozens more lay ahead to taste his steel.

He was an assassin, the best according to his master's at the Brotherhood, despite the fact that he was so young.

He was known only as Blade because of his prefered killing tools and right now he was preparing the tools of his trade once again.

Whipsers had followed him when he booked a room in this inn in Gnisis but he didn't care, fear was one of his greatest means of defence.

Carefully drawing out his numerous shining blades from their sheaths he began to sharpen them on a small whetstone and then polished each one with individual care till they glimmered in the dim candle light.

He knew nothing much about his target, he was only to attack if his employers contacted him and told him the first wave of assassinations had failed, but still, he liked to be alert. 

The crystal ball on his desk suddenly glowed red and a proud Imperial face swam into view.

'Lord Nuemeron'! he gasped pushing his long black hair back from his face 'Is it time for me to go to work'.

'Indeed she has just left the temple with a single guard' Nuemeron's words were slurred and spittle ran down his chin, he seemed slighly mad 'Not much of a challenge for you Dunmer, the best assassin in the Brotherhood I'm told, now go before they're too far away'.

The light from the ball dimmed and Blade threw it onto his bed.

Silently and efficiently he strapped on his black leather armour, two Tantos, a brace of six throwing knifes and a mini crossbow.

Carefully he placed on magic amulets and rings which would allow him to become invisible. Lastly he put on a jet black cloak which shimmered like water,pulled up the hood and concealed his dark blue skin by pushing a mask over his lower mouth.

He was ready to kill.

Fort Moonmoth was a bustle of activity as soldiers prepared for war. Lord Nuemeron stood on the parapets with his generals and surveyed the courtyard.

'Are you sure we have enough incentive to attack m'lord?' Asked the real general of the Imperial army, Falvius. News that Nuemeron had slaughtered the council of the temple in Morrowind had reached his ears and he feared the once valiant knight had gone insane.

'I would have killed anyone else for questioning this attack but since I've known you a long time I'll give you one more chance' Nuemeon gazed down at the courtyard his black hair swept back from his face which was cold and emotionless 'the temple is all but crushed Ald'Ruhn is the only city where we encountered a resistance and i assume that will be crushed in the near future'

'What about Vivec the Ordinators have pushed your forces to the city limits and now hold the majority of the cantons?' Flavius asked again cautiosly.

'You blasphemic words bore me general, if you think you can run this army better than I why don't you just kill me here and now' Replied Nuemeron with a weird grin 'Bloodaxe?' he indicated to the massive orc bezerker who despite an upcry commanded a division in the army and was a powerful warrior 'take our dead general below to the prison cell's and give him time to cool off, oh and maybe teach him a lesson or two while you're there too'.

'Gladly' grunted the Orc and in one swift moved struck Flavius with his flat palm, slung him over his shoulder like a sack and descended down the steps.

'Now gentlemen back to the divisional reports' Nuemeron said as if the previous event never happened 'i hope any of you don't have bad news for me'  
'Are we nearly out yet?' moaned Noleos as Jeanne dragged her through the dingy streets.

'Almost , just a little more' Replied Jeanne glancing around, they had joined up with four other temple guards who were trying to escape the city also before it was too late.

'Stop i can't go any more!' cried Noleos and slumped to the litter strewn street floor.

'Cmon get up!' cried Jeanne as she futilily attempted to pull Noleos to her feet.

'We're sitting ducks out here' muttered one of the other guards.

'I'm trying to get her up, someone help me!' cried Jeanne her face red form excertion.

'Alright' one of the guards, a Redguard calmy walked over to help.

Suddenly he stopped and stood stock still, opening and closing his mouth silently like a fish out of water. A crossbow bolt was purtruding from his neck and a tiny rivelet of blood ran down his neck.

'Fuck' whispered Jeanne as a dark figure dropped down from a rooftop ' Cmon Noleos we have to go'she pulled her to her feet and backed away from the crouching figure.

'What is it?' whispered Noleos in a mouse-like voice.

'Assassin, Dark Brotherhood' Jeanne could barely speak more than a few words.

Noleos whimpered at the name of the much feared guild spoken aloud.

'Nuemeron must really be insane to associate with these batards' said one of the guards as he drew his blade wiht hesitation.

'Noleos stay here while i help the others' Jeanne whispered as she drew her longsword and strapped her shield onto her arm.

The three guards and Jeanne circled the figure as it slowly raised itself to its feet and drew out two tantos.

Jeanne stuck first, covering her left side with her shield and coming in low from the right with her longsword.

The figure crouched fludily and swept the legs from Jeanna with a sweeping kick. The three others rushed in quickly on the offensive and rained blows on the assassin.

Those blows that the assassin didn't dodge were parried by his lightining quick blades which formed on impenitrable defense which nothing could get past.

One of the guards blades fell short and the assassin quickly took adavantage and sliced his right hand sword into the soldiers left shoulder and through to his right hip.

Blood exploded into the air and the butchered soldier toppeled to the ground.  
The next soldier to die charged the assassin and was run through on his blade which came out the other side soaked in fresh blood. The last soldier, an expierienced Bosmer, fought back and fourth with the assassin before his foe disappeared.

'Is he... gone?' asked Noleos as she dragged Jeanne's unconcious form away.

Before the Wood elf could answer his head flipped off his shoulders and a fountain of blood squirted almost as high as the rooftops.  
The assassin had used his invisibility spells to cause the illusion.

'Jeanne wake up please!' cried Noleos as the assassin reappeared and walked boldly towards her, his blades shining with blood...

(wah! exciting! please rate and review so i can get a 3rd chap up soon!) 


	3. Point of conflict

(hey all someone please read and review this lol then ill update way more but im inspired right now so ill get stuck into this chapter. by the way tell me what you like about the story too and whether you think my writings any good, ok gotta write now)

Vivec for once was quiet, the canals were devoid of boats and the paved streets silent and deserted.  
The massive city was a tomb.  
It was a city of war, fires burned a few miles from it, bathing the surrounding wilderness in an eerie orange light.  
Vivec himself was almost the same as his city , quiet, almost dead.  
The Imperial forces had stopped just short of the city but ordinator ambushes had slowed their progress , most of the Imperials had converted raided farmhouses into barricks and were content to stay there for now, at least until Nuemeron arrived as he was away on some private buisness.  
Vivec knew time was running short, he had barely one thousand soldiers, only one hundred ordinators, the rest guards and members of the fighters and mages guild.  
The Morag Tong upon learning of the Dark Brotherhood's involvement as the Imperial forces assassin's immediatly offered their services to Vivec which he gladly accepted.  
The assassin's guild was proving particularly efficient at taking out key members of the imperial army and making it look like an 'accident' but no matter how many were killed they still were replaced almost immediatly. Vivec pondered all this as he floated in the temple of Vivec in slient meditation.  
He racked his brains on a way out of this battle but he found no solution.

'You, come here' Vivec ordered a nearby ordinator 'tell high ordinator Ralor I want to speak with him.  
The ordinator gave a nervous uncharacteristic bow and hurried out the temple doors.  
Vivec silently dropped to the floor and summoned a glass of red wine.  
He began to sip it patiently as he waited modestly for the the captain of the ordinators to arrive.  
The doors were pushed gently open and dim gray light from outside pooled into the temple interior.  
A figure walked humbly into the temple, he wore the armour of an ordinator but it was purple in colour and a glass mace hung at his side.  
The figure fell to its knees and removed its helmet, white hair cut in the milatary shoulder-length style spilled out over the mans dark blue skin.

'Ralor, my Dunmer friend these formalites are long past us' laughed Vivec, but the laugh sounded shrill and eerie in the empty temple and he quickly stopped.

'Sorry sir, force of habit' murmured Ralor a smile on his lips, he had served Vivec all of his life and now just leaving middle age and begining to enter old age he had changed little in Vivec's eyes since he had become an ordinator when he was just barely an adult. He had saved Vivec's life on a number of occassions and they had a bond and a mutual trust for one another.

'Ralor I fear were fighting a losing battle with no hope of winning' Vivec said suddenly 'Our ambushes are barely slowing the Imperials down and our resources are dwindling fast, we have no chance of winning right now'.

'My lord' Ralor interrupted 'think about what you are saying, this is your city, if we abandon it the very center of culture of Vardenfell will be extinguished. We should only give ground at the last moment possible'.

'I suppose you're right' murmured Vivec softly 'We will hold the city for now, but if they attack in force and break our defences we will have to evacuate the city'.

'Where will we go my lord?' asked Ralor.

'Wherever we can Ralor'whispered Vivec, his inner torment reflected clearly in his eyes 'the Ashlands maybe, we will have to hide in tombs and old forrtresses there like vampires and other foul creatures. Still the Imperial's haven't attacked in a large scale yet so it might not come to that'.

'So I'll keep the ambushes up lord'? asked Ralor.

'You know me to well Ralor' Vivec turned away ' yes keep the ambushes up, kill as many as possible'. Anything else to report?'

'Well the Morag Tong are working well alongside the Theives guild, who supply the assassins with information on the Numeron's army' stated Ralor matter-of-factly.

'Good, but i want you to reinforce the the blockades and our defences' said Vivec 'you may leave now'.

With a nod Ralor returned his helmet to his head and walked out the temple doors, he had to prepare for battle.

'You all know your tasks Brothers and Sisters' hissed Spike where they crouched outside the the blockades of Vivec 'The stupid ordinators will never know what hits them if we are fast enough. Now prepare yourselves, we move out at midnight.'

The five other figures crouched around him moved slowly off to their gear and began preparing.  
A Silencer with the Dark Brotherhood, Spike's Sanctuary was in high regard of Sithis, mostly due to his skills he thought modestly.  
Carefully he slipped hidden blades up his sleves and pulled his black hood up, hiding his vivid red hair.  
No need to wear a mask, he thought, being a Dunmer his dark skin provided the best camouflage against the black night.  
He pulled on his quiver of arrows and slung his bow over his back.  
Muttering a prayer to Sithis he rose and beckoned the others to come close. They were all of the Brotherhood, fellow brothers and sisters of the night, almost as fanactical as Spike in service to their dark lord.

'From now on just hand code' whispered Spike to his audience.Placing his fingers to his lips, he mimicked a birdcall, the signal.  
Immediatly the others exploded into silent action, two levitated over the blockades and the other three climbed up with monkey like agility.  
Spike smiled as he gentle snicks, daggers being used.  
The perimeter guards here were no problem now.

'Its clear' He-who-hides, an Argonian signaled down from the wall with his hand.

Spike jumped straight up and caught the wall about halfway up.  
He climbed the rest of the way with startling agility and vaulted onto the makeshift battlment.  
Looking down he saw the others already dispatching the guards below, discreetly of course.  
Silent as kite Spike jumped down off the wall landed catlike on his feet.  
Trusting in the others to clear the way for him and cause a distraction he sprinted into the darkness, his target already in his sight.

Ralor strode through the silent yet populated streets, trying to improve moral in the men by showing his presence.  
He walked to the north blockcade and glanced around, confused.  
This is always the most well guarded area but yet there was no one in sight.  
All of a sudden an arrow skipped off the paved stone in front of him and he jumped back in alarm. Drawing his mace he jumped behind a crate as more arrows began to rain down on him.

'Help, were under attack over by the north blockade!' Ralor screamed as an arrow landed right next to his head by the crate.

A blow from behind unexpectadly knocked him off balance and he was thrown over the crate .  
He expected to die right there but the archers seemed preoccupied, the soldiers had reacted fast.  
Rolling to his feet Ralor turned to face his advesary and was shocked to find it a small Bosmer female.  
Her long blond hair was tied in a bun and black leather armour clung to her body.  
Her beauty stole his breath for a second and then he actually lost his breath as she lashed out her foot and her heel caught him squarely in the chest.  
He staggered backwards but quickly regained his composure in time to bring his mace up as the Wood elf stabbed a dagger at this throat.  
His block put here off balance and he quickly stepped forward and swung his mace at her dagger arm lightining fast.  
The mace connected with her wrist with a sickening sound and her dagger fell from her fingers.  
She was by no means finished, she flipped backwards a few metres to catch her breath. Outside sounds invaded Ralor for this momentary battle break and he heard fighting on the walls above him.  
He focused again and all sound was blotted as the Bosmer ran at him, dodging his first attack she kicked him in the head, then rammed her good elbow into his stomach with a thud.  
She rained blows on him for a minute or two, although his armour protected him from most of the damage it still hurt alot. Roaring in anger he grabbed her wrists together and head butted her three times, bloody flesh exploding outwards and covered his upper body in gore.  
Her lifeless body slumped to the floor and Ralor moved away.  
Alarmingly she began to rise again , Sithis held onto you for eternity and she staggered towards him with the exaggerated movement of a zombie.  
Ralor swung his mace at her head and she dropped to the floor, just another corpse.  
The sounds of fighting around him had died now and a ordinator quickly rushed over to Ralor to give a report.

'My lord, there were four of them on the walls but they managed to hold us off for a few minutes before we overwhelmed them 'gasped the guard 'who are they, they're not your average assassins?'

'The Dark Brotherhood' Ralor said in a hollow voice 'I wonder who their target was though'?

'Well its all clear now we managed to overwhelm them with only one loss but they killed about three dozen before the alarm was raised' reported the guard. ' we had to pull some guards away from the temple though to help us with guard duty tonight'

'The temple... By Azura!'shouted Ralor, already running towards the holy place.  
People in the streets stared as he ran like a lunatic towards the temple his mace trailing blood behind him.  
When the reached the temple doors he saw no guards, an ominous sign.  
Bursting into Vivecs Chamber he was shocked at what he saw.  
A dozen ordinators lay dead on the floor and several more were fighting a single dark clad, unarmed figure.  
Vivec watched the scene with horror as the assassin dodged all their attacks easily and his hands proved more deadly than the ebony maces the ordinators were wielding.  
Every blow he landed was precise and in a weak spot. He kicked one guard in the neck and crushed his windpipe.  
Another guard fell when first his arm then leg and finally jaw were broken with three punches.  
The last two guards battled on but the assassin moved so fast the guard stabbed the other guard.  
Blood sprayed the guards face and he was blinded but he saw no more as his heart was ripped out by a bare hand.  
The figure turned on Vivec and drew a small dagger from his belt, it looked harmless but he threw it with deadly accuracy and struck Vivec in the forehead.  
Vivec swayed for a second and then collapsed to the floor.  
Full of rage Ralor charged the assassin, who turned calmly around, ducked the captains first swing and then punched him straight in the chest Ralor flew backwards and landed against the wall with a thud.  
The assassin calmly jogged out the temple door as Ralor tried to regain his footing.  
Hoisting himself up Ralor swayed for a second as red spots appeared before hs eyes and a sunburst of pain shot through his head.  
Shaking the cobwebs clear he picked up his fallen mace and chased the assassin into the dark night.  
Spike was exuburent as he ghosted through the streets of Vivec, his mission was completed and now all he had to do was return to make the report to his employer.  
Sticking to the shadows Spike darted past hordes of guards still making the way to the temple, not knowing their lord had already fallen.  
Still Spike was careful and it took him nearly an hour to reach the foreign quarter which was mostly deserted.  
Spotting his escape boat below him he prepared to vault into the canal when searing pain burst from his shoulder.  
Spinning around he saw that Ralor had finally caught up with him, under the protection of a handful of guards, all of whom had crossbows trained on the assassin.

'Too bad for you I've already been sucessful so my death will be meaningless' sneered Spike at the high ordinator'Vivec lies dying and your out here chasing shadows'.

A few of the guards nervously fired off their crossbows but Spike skipped around the bolts almost like a child.

'Your wondering how one little assassin took on so many back there in the temple' teased Spike 'let me give you a first hand demonstration'. Quickly he raised his hand and a lightining bolt shot out from it and into the midst of the men.  
The explosion threw them back and killed several.  
Spike had all the time he needed though and he quickly jumped the wall and into the canals below.  
The guards ran quickly to the edge and began firing into the murky canal waters but it was too late, the assassin was just another shadow in the night.  
'Sir they are attacking at the north blockade and have almost broke through to the foreign quarter!'shouted a guard at Ralor.

'Assassins?'

'No Sir, normal footsoldiers, the bulk of the army.'

'Its just one thing after another today'sighed Ralor ' Okay I want you to gather up all of the ordinators you can and get to the blockade as fast as possible.'

'Yes sir I'll go right now.'

'And be careful please''Will do Sir.'

The guard ran into the darkness and Ralor turned away to the other guards, only a dozen or so in total but they were high ranking and well trained.

'Okay you know the drill' said Ralor 'Our duty is to defend this city and we shall fufill that duty. I want half of the you to gather your companies and get straight to the walls. The rest spread out with one company in each quarter, they will launch small scale attacks from the water and air if my informant in the theives guild is reliable. Lets get to work.'

The guards dispersed immediatly, they were well trained thought Ralor as he watched them leave.  
Sighing he headed towards the north of the city ready to meet battle.

(I'm really happy with this chapter and i only ressurected this old story coz i have some new ideas so please rate and review eg: tell me which characters you like so far and how you would like the story to progress, I'm still introducing characters so i would have liked more action in this chapter , the assassination bit was only supposed to be the start of the chapter but i kinda fleshed it out a bit so that you could get to know Ralor and i know you probably are all confused about some things but I will answer these in time. So anyway enough rambling on, I better get back to the next chapter and hopefully you enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!.) 


	4. A world of emotions

**Hey all again, I've taken note of any comments in your reviews and hopefully this chapter is better anyway and please rate and review!( P.S. sorry ive taken so long been very busy)**

Blade grinned as he saw Noleos helpless on the ground, this was his favourite type of the kill, when his target is incapacitated but conscious enough so they know what is happening.  
Savouring every second, he raised one of his short swords and tensed his arm to bring the blade down to strike.  
Noleos began to cry , tears streaming down her face and giving a whimper every now and then.  
The assassin never showed mercy in his life and wasn't about to break the habit now.  
He liked to look his victims in their eyes so he gently raised his foot and pushed up Noleos's chin with it to see her eyes better.  
His breath was stolen all at once, those eyes.  
For a second he felt lost in those aquamarine depths which promised many things and stirred up so much emotion.  
They were tinged with innocence but there was a sturdy calm about them also, as if they would accept any vision no matter how horrible it was.  
Her eyes showed him for a second into her soul, how she loved and her stubbornness .  
He felt he could swim for miles in those eyes and still not see what they had to offer.  
All his life he had no problem killing anyone, innocent or guilty without even a twinge of remorse, now though, his deeds seemed to stretch behind him like a road burned, blackened and lined with death.  
The full weight of his many vile deeds seemed to assault him now for the first time in one mind-numbing barrage.  
His mind was flooded with guilt, disgust and hate for what he had become for the first time.  
He felt like the most pitiful creature on the planet and wanted to do no more than curl up in a ball and die.  
He felt useless and despicable .  
But for the first time in his life he felt emotion and that gave him hope, hope that he could change.  
He stepped back in shock at this revelation and lowered his weapons, his arms hanging limp at his sides.

'Well, aren't you going to kill me?' moaned Noleos ,her head bowed, not seeing that he had stepped back and still expecting the fatal blow.

'I don't know what I'm going to do' said Blade softly.

Noleos raised her head quickly, to check whether he was just toying with her but she couldn't help but feel pity for the dejected looking assassin standing a few feet back with his head bowed.

'Okay, I'll just go so' smiled Noleos timidly as she began to try and lift Jeanne, without any luck.

'No' said Blade sharply, then his voiced softened 'please don't go, its just…… I'm……. confused' he finished lamely.

'I'd love to stay and listen to the true confessions of an assassin but as you see I'm kind of in a hurry' she laughed sarcastically, but there was an edge on her voice, this guys seems like one of the more psychotic assassins who could snap at any moment she thought wearily, maybe if she could push his buttons and get him to get distracted enough with whatever he was feeling she could escape. She might as well get him to talk about it so he has an emotional breakdown or something, then she could make her escape. With my luck I'll be lucky if he doesn't go psycho if I talk to him she thought again.

'Well anyway, what is wrong with you…… I mean….. like…..why didn't you kill me….. Yet?' she said with trepidation and a slight quiver in her voice.

'I don't know… it is hard…. I can't explain it' whispered Blade 'I've killed hundreds of people in my life but I can't kill you, a Breton not even a Dunmer but yet I still can't bring myself to do it'

'That's comforting' Noleos said nervously edging further into the darkness away from Blade.

'I wouldn't try and escape if I were you by the way' he said calmly 'the streets are crawling with Empire soldiers, believe it or not you are safer here.

'You're still an assassin out to kill me I might take my chances on the streets if its okay with you' grinned Noleos trying to make Blade comfortable so she could make her move.

'Now that I think about it, my life, up until I saw you, is like a dream of something, I feel in control now, a control I didn't realise existed up till… well when I saw you' he said pulling off his hood and running his hand through his long black hair.

It was Noleos's time to be shocked, the Dunmer before her was the most handsome man she had seen.  
He couldn't have been much older than her, only a few years maybe, his ebony skin was smooth except for a scar running down his left cheek but this seemed to accentuate his face, the rest of his features were typically elven except for his cheekbones which were normal rather than the high ones associated with all the elven races. Noleos shook her head and grinned at Blade.

'You've got to be joking a person doesn't just change their personality because of someone they see, this is crazy' said Noleos her voice raising.

'Yeah it sounds crazy but there is nothing I can do, that's what it feels like….. its hard to explain when you don't even know whats just happened' he said , a glazed look coming over him.

'Well what are you going to do now, you work for the Dark Brotherhood, right?' she asked.

'Yes and failure to obey a task for them results in death' he said , looking downtrodden 'I'd accept, even welcome death now because the guilt I have is unbearable'

'Or you could fight' whispered Noleos, her face beginning to split into a smile ' help fight the very evil you've been working for, Dark Elves live a long time, you could atone for your sins in that time'.

'It sounds too good to be true… this is the first time I have felt emotions' he muttered ' I feel like I wouldn't know what to do, this is all so strange, I feel like my life is just beginning'.

'Okay but first things first, you're going to help me, we have to get out of Gnisis, get out to the wilderness and get to safety for now at least' Noleos said matter-of-factly, almost like this was a simple task that a child could do.

'Okay let me just think for a second, we need a plan to destroy our trail or make them think we are dead' Blade murmured running his hand through his hair again 'we could go south , to the swampland, its easy to get lost there and the marshy ground would cause our trail to be almost impossible to find'

'I'd have thought that the soft ground would make it easier to be followed' piped Noleos.

'Usually it would, but marshy ground is flooded a lot and the waterlogged soil tends to absorb footprints' his lips twitched almost into a smile 'trust me, I'm an assassin'.

'Sounds good, could you help me with Jeanne first?' asked Noleos ' you are the one that knocked her out after all'.

'She's too heavy for me to lift' he said staring at her on the floor ' I have some herbs which may help' he bent down in front of Jeanne, leaned over her and when he pulled back she began to cough .'She'll be conscious in a few minutes'.

'Maybe its best if you back away and I explain what's going on before she tries to kill you' suggested Noleos ' By the way excuse my rudeness because you were trying to kill me that we couldn't be properly introduced. My name is Noleos'.

'What ..oh..yeah I'm Blade' he said scanning the alleyway for danger and finding none he turned back to Noleos ' Sorry but could I ask you a favour, you being a priest , could you well put their souls at rest, being so close to innocents I've killed is like torture' he motioned to the dead guards.

'Oh yes ……I forgot about them…for a minute' gazing at the corpses reminded Noleos of Blade's viciousness and she mentally got herself ready in case he turned on her, she still couldn't rule out the fact he was just a psychopath who got off on this but he seemed to be telling the truth ,and besides ,she thought he's the only chance I have right now. Working methodically she bent over each corpse in turn and muttered prayers in their ears, except for the decapitated Wood Elf but she sprinkled some herbs from her pouches which she still wore onto his stump of a neck to ensure his soul was at peace.  
Blade stared pointedly away, ashamed at the carnage he had caused.

Their attention was turned to Jeanne as she sat up, spotted Blade and tried to rise and draw her weapon but fell over in a heap.

'Noleos get away from him quick!' the Nord screamed ' I'll distract him, go before its too late!' she tried to rise again but failed.

'Jeanne, calm down' whispered Noleos gently as she hurried over to her friend and knelt before her 'here take this, It'll help' she put a potion to Jeanne's lips and carefully poured the liquid into her mouth.

'Thank you' Jeanne gasped between mouthfuls of the potion. When she drained it she snapped her gaze to Blade who stood uncomfortably in the background, aware of her glare 'By Vivec what's that assassin doing there, why hasn't he killed us yet?' she moaned to Noleos.

'It's okay….I think… its hard to explain, just know that he is with us now and will help us' said Noleos 'you'll just have to trust me, okay?'.

'Yeah okay, just get him to help me up' she said ,loud enough for Blade to hear 'but I still don't trust _him_'.

Noleos nodded at Blade and he strode over, gripped Jeanne gently but firmly and help her to her feet.

'I'm sorry for what I've done to you' he muttered to Jeanne, kicking the floor in a child-like way.

'Hey, it's okay, I forgive you for now but you better explain your actions later' Jeanne seemed shocked at his remorse and although she was distant with him and still didn't trust him, she was willing to give him a chance ' for now we have to move out and escape the city, there's time for story-telling later once we're far away from here'

'Yeah we've already decided to go south, to marshland where we can hide out and not be followed easily' said Noleos as if it was her plan all along ' We have to be careful in our escape though, there's soldiers everywhere, all of them probably looking out for us'.

'Yes we'll leave in a few minutes, get ready' Blade used the organising to distract his mind from the guilt in the pit of his stomach as he cleaned and prepared his weapons and with a massive surge of guilt he plucked a crossbow bolt from the dead guards neck he had killed earlier. These emotions were still new to him he didn't know how to handle them.

'Okay I'm ready' said Noleos, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulders, almost as if she was just going on a journey to a nearby town and not fleeing for her life from an army. Her optimism astounded Blade, it seemed alien to him someone could act like that in the face of adversary.

'Yeah I'm ready too, I'll guard the rear' growled Jeanne, still distrustful of the assassin.

'Okay follow me and follow whatever commands I say, even if it is to leave me behind and escape yourselves' said Blade in a cold tone.

'Gladly' muttered Jeanne but not loud enough for Blade to hear, this time.

'Come on so' he muttered over his shoulder and slunk down the alley into the darkness. The two women followed him silently and kept on constant lookout. They made good progress out towards the Gnisis gate seen as how the temple was in the centre of the large town. Both Jeanne and Noleos knew that without Blade they would never have made it out, he constantly scouted ahead and checked was the coast clear for them to proceed. They had a couple of close calls where Noleos jingling pouches attracted some guards but Blade quickly led them away each time. Jeanne was furious and made Noleos stuff her pouches into her backpack, causing the Breton to pout and give her the silent treatment , still it was probably better since they were sneaking through a hostile city.  
When the gate of Gnisis was in sight ,about a hundred metres ahead and after about two hours of sneaking, they rested for a couple of minutes. The catch was that the distance to the gate was open ground they would have to run to the gate, it was too risky trying to bluff their way out, Blade would be recognised as a Dark Brotherhood member anyway, even though the Empire was using the assassins , they would never admit it in public and would probably kill him on the spot.

'Okay let's go' said Blade as he slid out of the shadows ,back from scouting the gate ' there's only two guards there, they probably didn't think we'd make it this far. On my signal, one, two, th…..'

Half a dozen black clad figures dropped down off the rooftops them, more assassinns.  
On reflex Blade launched a throwing dagger he had in his hand at the nearest, striking the figure in the forehead. He quickly drew his blades and launched his attack on two of the assassins, flicking a casual swipe at the head of the one then reversing his other blade at the others feet, hacking the legs from under him. Blocking the other attack and ducking at the same time he casually slit the fallen assassins throat and then brought that blade up, just slicing his attackers cheek but causing him to pull back.

Jeanne was having problems of her own as she battled two assassins, using her shield to block one and parrying with her sword with the other. She felt herself tiring though as they rained blows down on her.

Back at the other battle Blade realised he was fighting a seasoned opponent, despite his initial mistake the assassin handled his daggers well and had turned the tables on Blade. He had Blade on the defensive and his constant but unpredictable feints left Blade offbalance and more wary to launch a proper attack. Blade blocked all the blows stoically and even took a few nicks but he waited for his opponent to slip up.  
The opponent thinking Blade was weakening grew self-confident and went for the quick kill.  
He swung both blades from each side thinking his opponent finished but Blade quickly ducked them , balled up his fist and drove it hard into the man's jaw, snapping his head back.  
The assassin staggered back and Blade spun around his side and chopped into his ribs.  
The blow connected solidly and the assassin shrieked in pain, blood gushing from his side. The next blow cut into the back of assassin's knees and dropped the man to the ground like a sack. The third and final blow sliced the top of the mans head off and ended his life.

Jeanne was exhausted now and her arms burned like fire as the assasssins unceasingly attacked her.  
She felt the end coming but she didn't want it to end like this.  
One of the assassins kicked the legs from under her and she fell like hard to the ground. She expected to hear the blade rushing down to kill her but instead she heard a weird chanting.  
A great whooshing sound roar in her ears and she felt a searing heat tear at her.  
Suddenly it was gone and she saw Noleos standing sheepishly where the two assassins had been on burnt and blackened ground.

'Fireball' Noleos simply said as she help Jeanne to her feet and brushed the soot off her.

'Good spell that' Jeanne replied, then glance over at the last assassin , who had done nothing the whole fight but stand there and watch them 'I got one more of these freaks to kill'.

'Oh you won't be killing me anytime soon' a voice hissed from the figure in an unmistakeable Argonian accent , the figure was dressed in black, but not in the Dark Brotherhood type of clothing, this was more like a proper armour with chain mail 'I'm only here as an observer'.

'Observer of what' asked Blade emotion in his voice,anger, as he walked towards the figure ' Your not of the Brotherhood, who are you?'.

'Now that would just be telling' the Argonian said, a spear suddenly flashing at its side 'you'll find out in time'. With a final hiss he jumped high into the air as Blade threw a dagger at him and disappeared into the night

'Who the fuck was that?' said Noleos, something that was on all there minds.

'Who cares' said Jeanne ' lets just get out of here for Vivec's sake, c'mon assassin lead the way'.

Without a word Blade sprinted into the night and the others trailed behind him.  
The gate guards didn't even try and stop them as they broke through to the wilderness and safety.

**Yay another chapter done and dusted!. I enjoyed writing this one a lot, I tried to develop the characters a bit, especially Blade, I wanted to show his change in personality and stuff.  
I hope you enjoyed the battle at the end, I spent a while trying to get that perfect.**

**So anyway, please please please rate and review, I really appreciated the last few reviews and criticism is welcome.  
Tell me who you like too and crap and where you think I could improve stuff.  
The next chapter will be up soon, I have big plans for this fic!  
Till later anyways**


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